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IN the last 2011 financial year, Bloomtools increased turnover from $1.7 million to $2.6 million and staff numbers from 22 to 33.
The web marketing company has also expanded with the opening of a seventh franchise on the Central Coast (New South Wales) suburb of Terrigal.
The company earlier launched a franchise in Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, and there’s more to come as confidence improves in the recovering market.
“A lot of people were worried about what was going to happen two years ago, but now we see that is changing. Enquiries started increasing in March, followed by an increase in sales,” says Bloomtools managing director James Greig (pictured).
Bloomtools has diversified from purely web design to broader business solutions by launching its new customer relationship management (CRM) software.
It allows users to make online payments and be added to a database for marketing purposes.
The company has also launched IVvy, a cloud computing application for events management.
The program has attracted interest from Harvey Norman, CSIRO, Flight Centre, Queensland Health, Queensland University of Technology, the Coffee Club, Property Council of Australia and Australian Communication and Media Authority.
“We have also made the process of trying to manage events as simple as possible. The software delivers cost-savings by letting people manage the entire online process through a single centralised system,” says Greig.
“A professional conference organiser can make approximately $100,000 in time and cost savings associated with running events.”
The IVvy team swelled by 10 during the three months to October, prompting Greig to expand the company’s Varsity Lakes office.
“We have signed a six-month lease for a small site next-door to us because we ran out of office space. The Steelx Building is owned by one of our directors, giving us the option of expanding the property,” says Greig.
Bloomtools created about 360 websites this year, attracting new clients including Sanitarium and Oxenford Realty.
The company is working on a new property portal allowing users to access news and real estate agents.
“The portal allows someone who hasn’t bought a property to be sent email alerts. All they have to do is tick the kind of properties they want and they will have it sent to them,” says Greig.
The company expects to double its business and increase revenue by 60 per cent in the 2012 financial year and will recruit more design, programming and project management staff in the new year.
Bloomtools believes there is also potential for securing more resellers in New Zealand and Singapore.
“The main criteria we look for is existing relationships with the markets we are targeting. This may include web developers, graphic designers and agencies,” says Greig.
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YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR FINALIST
James Greig
Bloomtools
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
Age: 28
Business Est: 2004
Staff: 33
Growth: 30 per cent
Turnover: $2.6 million
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